Terrain:
mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow,
discontinuous coastal plain
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Chott Melrhir -40 m
highest point: Tahat 3,003 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc
Land use: arable land: 3.21% permanent crops: 0.21% other: 96.58% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
5,600 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards:
mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and
floods in rainy season
Environment - current issues:
soil erosion from overgrazing and other poor farming practices;
desertification; dumping of raw sewage, petroleum refining wastes,
and other industrial effluents is leading to the pollution of rivers
and coastal waters; Mediterranean Sea, in particular, becoming
polluted from oil wastes, soil erosion, and fertilizer runoff;
inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban
Geography - note: second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)
People Algeria